Pollution is the contamination of
earth's environment with materials that interfere with human health, the quality
of life, or the natural functioning of ecosystems (living organisms and their
physical surroundings). According to Asian Development Bank about 22,000 people
are losing their lives to pollution every year in Pakistan. The situation is
getting bleaker because adequate support and regulatory measures are not in
place in Pakistan. Total costs associated with deaths and sickness caused by
increased levels of particulate matter amount to Rs65 billion annually or
approximately one per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

Pollution has a dramatic effect on
natural resources. It can impair or destroy ecosystem functions. Moreover,
because of the complex relationships among the many types of organisms and
ecosystems, environmental contamination may have far-reaching consequences that
are not immediately obvious or that are difficult to predict. Little attention
was paid to pollution and environmental issues in Pakistan until the early
1990s.

A major effect of pollution on economy
is the tremendous cost of pollution cleanup and prevention. The global effort to
control emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas produced from the combustion of
fossil fuels such as coal or oil, or of other organic materials like wood, is
one such example. The cost of maintaining annual national carbon dioxide
emissions at 1990 levels is estimated to be 2 percent of the gross domestic
product for developed countries.

In addition to its effects on the
economy, health, and natural resources, pollution has social implications.
Research has shown that low-income populations and minorities do not receive the
same protection from environmental contamination as do higher-income
communities. Toxic waste incinerators, chemical plants, and solid waste dumps
are often located in low-income communities because of a lack of organized,
informed community involvement in municipal decision-making processes.

TYPES OF POLLUTION:

1-AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution in Pakistan's major
cities is among the highest in the world. Dust and smoke particles are
"generally twice the world average" and "five times" higher
than the developed world. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) officials blame
the unusually high levels of pollutants such as ozone, sulphur dioxide,
respirable dusts and nitrogen oxides on high traffic density combined with
bright sunlight and high temperatures, while recommending stricter control of
traffic and higher taxation for older vehicles as a possible solution. In the
cities, widespread use of low quality fuel, combined with a dramatic expansion
in the number of vehicles on the roads, has led to significant air pollution
problems. The government has been encouraging the use of vehicles powered by the
less polluting compressed natural gas (CNG). At present, CNG vehicles in
Pakistan are estimated at just under one million, making Pakistan's CNG fleet
the third largest in the world after Argentina and Brazil.

Besides air pollution smoking
significantly harms almost every major organ of the body and has been directly
linked to leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of kidney, cervix, pancreas
and stomach. The latest report by the EPA shows that the air quality monitoring
station at Lower Mall (Town Hall Lahore) has given readings of 127.4ug/m3 (microgrammes
per metre cubed) of ozone, which exceeds the international World Health
Organisation guidelines of 100ug/m3, while the level of sulphur dioxide stands
at 56.40ug/m3 over a 24-hour period ñ over three times the WHO guideline of
20ug/m3. Ozone is a leading cause of respiratory illnesses such as throat and
lung irritation, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and headaches. Sulphur
dioxide, besides causing acid rain, also leads to other respiratory illnesses,
while nitrous oxides have been linked to cardiovascular problems and cancer.

In small cities the air has hazardous
nitrogen oxides and particulates much higher than the limits recommended by the
World Health Organization. Unplanned industrialization and housing and
inefficiencies of various government departments have added to environmental
pollution. As a result, the number of people visiting the hospitals has
increased by 100%.

The major reasons for air pollution is
described as "poor motor examination system", "no standard of
[emissions levels]", traffic jams at crossings, and high density of traffic
on the road. Though there is less sunlight and heat during winter, air
pollutants disperse less due to "unfavorable meteorological
conditions".

Analysts recommend a higher road tax
premium for older vehicles, and state that "every vehicle must pass
emission standard criteria before coming on the road". To implement this,
the motor workshops are to be equipped with emission testing kits and vehicles
are routinely tuned. They advocate a switch-over to CNG and a public
sensitization drive about the health impacts of various pollutants. It is also
recommended to launch an effective campaign against fuel adulteration and an
efficient mass transport system as a fundamental step.

2-WATER POLLUTION:

Water pollution is rampant in domestic
water supply as well as in rivers and lakes and sea also. During a survey from
different areas of some cities of Pakistan 20 samples of drinking water were
taken for examination and all found unfit for human consumption. 12 of them were
deficient in calcium, 14 were deficient in magnesium, chloride and nitrate and a
few had the higher ratio of hazardous total dissolved solid and selenium.
According to Soil and Water Testing Research Laboratory, 11 of the 20
underground water samples (for irrigation) were found unfit because they had
excessive sodium absorption ratio and residual sodium bicarbonates, while 35% of
the land had the Ph value (alkalinity) of more than 8.50, which has degraded the
soil.

Pollution in rivers is also
disseminated due to discharge of toxic chemicals by factories. Recently the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sindh, was informed that the Indus river
is highly polluted. The levels of various parameters are high enough to classify
the river as polluted. Even the coliform level, which should have not been
present in water bodies at all, averaged 800 per 100 ml. It is a fact that the
Indus river is polluted due to indiscriminate discharges of untreated municipal
and industrial wastewater, the Manchar Lake discharges make the pollution
further distinct during periods of low flows (December-January). Most cities and
towns of Sindh discharge their untreated municipal wastewater into the Indus.
With wherever treatment facility exists (e.g., at Tando Muhammad Khan), the
wastewater does not receive the desired degree of treatment. The parameter of
major concerns is the discharge of organic matter. This causes depletion of
dissolved oxygen in river water. Polluted Indus threatens the livelihoods of
people, affects the agricultural produce and, makes water treatment for drinking
purposes increasingly difficult.

Sea is also no exception in terms of
pollution spread. According to sources, about 300 million gallons daily (MGD) of
untreated industrial and municipal waste is thrown into the Arabian Sea. In
addition a number of valuable fish species, once available in abundance, have
now reduced due to destruction of mangrove forests and pollution in fishing
waters. Water pollution can be damaging to the economy as it can be expensive to
treat and prevent contamination. Waste that does not break down quickly
accumulates in the Earth's waters and eventually makes its way to the oceans.
Water pollution can be prevented by stopping pollutants from contaminating
nearby waters. There are a number of water treatments to prevent pollution such
as Biological filters , Chemical additives and Sand filters .

3-SOIL POLLUTION

The soil of the cultivable areas is
rapidly getting deficient in basic micro nutrients nitrogen, potash and
phosphorous by 90%, 30% and 85%, respectively. As a result, the growth of plants
is slow. Like many others, the Forest Department is also not playing is role in
checking the pollution. The department has planted on average 77 trees per
kilometre along roads, 30 trees per kilometre along canals and 31 trees per
kilometre along railway tracks. This number is much less than the recommended
number of at least 500 trees per kilometre.

4-SOLID WASTE

Solid wastes are unwanted solid
materials such as garbage, paper, plastics and other synthetic materials,
metals, and wood. Billions of tons of solid waste are thrown out annually.
Low-lying land is generally used for solid waste disposal in Pakistan, without
the benefit of sanitary landfill methods. To add to the pollution, industrial
units and hospitals have no waste treatment plants and incinerators, 90% of the
10,000 cottage industry units are working without chimneys and polythene bags
having a thickness less than the minimum allowed are being used in routine. The
burning of municipal solid waste is another significant source of pollution in
the urban areas. Almost 48,000 tons of solid waste is generated each day, most
of which is either dumped in low-lying areas or burnt. The burning of solid
waste at low temperatures not only generates particulate matter but also
produces other carcinogenic pollutants,

5-HAZARDOUS WASTE

Hazardous wastes are solid, liquid, or
gas wastes that may be deadly or harmful to people or the environment and tend
to be persistent or non degradable in nature. Such wastes include toxic
chemicals and flammable or radioactive substances, including industrial wastes
from chemical plants or nuclear reactors, agricultural wastes such as pesticides
and fertilizers, medical wastes, and household hazardous wastes such as toxic
paints and solvents. Globally about 400 million metric tons of hazardous wastes
are generated each year. The National Conservation Strategy has raised concerns
about industrial toxic wastes also being dumped in municipal disposal areas
without any record of their location, quantity, or toxic composition.

In case of industries, like thermal
power plants, the variable of major concern is temperature and mercury poisoning
which results in death. At Jamshoro (Sindh) and Muzzafargarh (Punjab), where
power plants are also located, presence of mercury in Indus river water has been
reported. Sudden increase in surface water temperature by three degrees Celsius
is harmful for marine organisms. Required level of oxygen is usually not
available, as the increased water temperature decreases solubility of oxygen in
water.

6-NOISE POLLUTION

The hyper urbanization experienced by
Pakistan since the 1960s has resulted in loose controls for heavy equipment
operation in densely populated areas, as well as in crowded streets filled with
buses, trucks, automobiles, and motorcycles, which often honk at each other.
Fitness of vehicles is necessary to check the environmental pollution, but the
motor vehicle examiners have no equipment to check the fitness of vehicles. As a
result, 100 decibels noise has been recorded in small cities on busy roads, that
is much higher than the maximum admissible limit of 85 decibels. According to
the figures recently released by the Punjab Excise & Taxation Department,
almost 900,000 new vehicles were registered between 2002-2007, including 15,784
'luxury cars', 4,626 pickup trucks and 252,940 ordinary cars.

Ineffective enforcement of laws is a
major cause of failure to curb pollution. Environment Protection Agencies as
well as civil society have to work on war footing for effective implementation
of rules to prevent this multi headed monster and save our environment from
further destruction.